Pet Sitting Insurance UK Comparison Chart, Dog Walking and Pet Sitter Liability

by Professional United Pet Sitters LLC

The following companies are known to provide quality pet sitting insurance to individual pet sitters as well as professional pet sitting businesses.  Contact the companies directly for more details. 

If you provide pet sitter insurance, including care/custody/control, and would like to be listed, please send us an email.

Disclaimers

Printable Version:  Updated Oct 20,2013

 

Professional United Pet Sitters LLC  is NOT affiliated with any pet sitter and dog walker liability insurance companies, including the ones listed below. 

Professional United Pet Sitters LLC does NOT offer or endorse ANY Pet Sitter insurance, business insurance, health insurance, or bonding. 

 

Pet sitter insurance companies are listed below for your convenience only. 
No pet sitter insurance is included with membership to PUPS.

 

Professional United Pet Sitters LLC, PetSits.Com, Happy At Home Pet Sitters, and the owners are not liable for errors in or related to information presented here.   Please contact the companies directly for more current information.  The information listed is the limited understanding we have based on the info we’ve received.  It may be right, or it may be inaccurate.  Or the insurance may be changing while we speak.  This is just for information purposes only, and we can not and do not guarantee the accuracy in any way at any time. We are not personally or professionally affiliated with any insurance listed below.   www.PetSits.Com

 

Provided through:   Pet Business Insurance Petsitter Alliance LTD National Association of Pet Sitter & Dog Walkers

(NARPS UK)

Cliverton
Website

 

petbusiness
insurance.co.uk
petsittersalliance.co.uk narpsuk.co.uk cliverton.co.uk
You must be a member of

 

None
 
Petsitters Alliance

(Membership included)

NARPS UK None
Cost per year (annual)  This provider is no longer available

Public Liability from £119

Professional Indemnity from £70.28

Employers Liability from £18.10

Holiday Emergency from £250.17

Equipment from £240.22

Glass from £253.63

Indemnity from £308.74

Personal Accident from £267.74

Building also available

£79
for independent petsitters 

£127 for agencies +
£49 for each agency petsitter 


£16/£10 for optional overnight coverage
From £71

Pet Taxi £71.55

Employees
3 for £53
5 for £79.50
10 for £100

Keys Loss from £4.50

Professional Indemnity £32.40

Public Liability from £110 (depends on income level)

Indemnity from £74

Property Insurance £42.40

 

 

Is there a discount available for certification? No No No Unknown No
Is bonding available? No No No Unknown No
Is theft insurance available No Limited - Covers if an animal is lost or stolen while in the care, custody, and control of the pet sitter and is not returned within 60 days. Limited - Covers if an animal is lost or stolen while in the care, custody, and control of the pet sitter and is not returned within 60 days. Unknown Limited - Covers if an animal is lost or stolen and not returned within 7 days
Liability limits 
Note: Additional fees required for some options

£5,000,000 any one claim

£5,000 for pets in your care

 

Public Liability

£3,000,000

 

 

Employers Liability

£10,000,000 any one cause

 

 

Care, Custody, Control

£15,000 any one incident or series.

 

 

Lost Key

£10,000

 

 

Professional Indemnity

£350,000 any one period 

 

Personal Accident

£10,000 

 

Vets Fees Extension

£1,500 

 

Glass

£2,000

Public Liability
 

£2,000,000 - any one accident or series of accidents arising from a single cause



 

Care, Custody, Control
 
£5,000 any one accident or series of accidents arising from a single cause



 

Lost Key
Up to £10,000, one event

 

Public Liability
£3,000,000 or £10,000,000

Key Loss
 £500-
£2000

Public/Products Liability
£5,000,000 or £10,000,000

Employer Liability
£10,000,000

Care, Custory, Control
£10,000

Lost Key
£10,000

Non Neglegent
£10,000

Is care, custody, and control / Animal Bailee included?

(covers if you are liable for damage/death of a pet - including vet care, property replacement, etc)
Unknown Yes Yes Yes Yes
Is there coverage for claims with no pet sitter negligence? Unknown, unlikely Optional - £10.60 No Unknown, unlikely Yes
Effective date

Unknown

An induction visit at your home is required.

Immediate cover available, or a confirmed date in the future. Immediate cover availale, or a confirmed date in the future.   Unknown
FAQ FAQ FAQ FAQ   FAQ
Are ICs, spouse & employees covered

Note:  ICs should always get their own coverage in the own business name separately through their own business.  It is best  for you to also cover them also with your policy through your business.
Additional fees (as listed above) are required for each covered staff, spouse, or partner.

 

Optional

Can cover spouse's, volunteers or employees for an extra cost.

Family members/partners over 16 years old included.

Additional fees (as listed above) are required for each petsitter belonging to an agency.

Optional

Employers Liability available

Optional

Employers Liability available

Are under 18 year old employees covered to do pet sits alone? Unknown No Yes Unknown, unlikely Unknown
Can I bring my kids to sits?

Note - insurance coverage does not include injuries or damage to the children or the children's property.
Unknown No No Unknown Unknown
Do I lose coverage if I place a certain # of claims? Unknown

No

No Unknown Unknown
Excess / Deductible £250 pet injury/loss/damage £50 Care, custody, control 
£50 Non-negligent

£100 Tools/Mobiles/Laptops 
£100 Damage to 3rd party property

£200 Professional indemnity

£50 Care, custody, control

£250 Third party property damage

Pet Taxi £250

Rest unknown

$50 for Non-negligent cover 
Possibly also $250 for damage to 3rd party property
Medicating covered Unknown Only if letter provided from the clients. No Unknown, unlikely Unknown
Is housesitting (No pets) coverage available/included? Unknown It can be included as long as the pet sitting work exceeds housesitting.

Yes

..as long as it is occasional only

Unknown

Yes

..as long as it is occasional only, and not a principle business activity.

Is pet taxi covered?

Note:  No auto-insurance is included - just coverage for the pet
No Yes Yes Incidental yes, professional requires optional Pet Taxi coverage Yes. 
Separate policy required for overseas travel.
Are overnights at the client's home covered? Unknown Yes Optional - $16 individuals, $10 agency Unknown Yes
Is boarding / day care covered at your own home? Unknown, probably yes Yes Yes Unknown Yes
Is grooming covered? No Yes Yes Unknown Yes
Is poop scooping only service (no pet sitting) covered? Unknown It can be included as long as the pet sitting work exceeds this service. No Unknown Unknown
Are all animals covered?

No

Dangerous pets and poisonous snakes are excluded

Yes as long as not commercial and not under D.W.A.A No
Farm animals excluded
Unknown, commercial farm animals and horses NOT covered.

Yes

Commercial herds are excluded, but temporary care of horses, poultry and small numbers of farm animals kept in a domestic environment are covered. Optional coverage is available for riding and exercising horses (separate policy).

Is online listing available Yes - online contact service for clients booking through petsitters Alliance No Online contact for clients to petsitters via Petsitters Alliance Yes, through NARPS UK No
Insurance Provided By International Insurance company of Hannover Ltd, authorised and regulared by the FSA Amlin UK Limited through Pet Business Insurance Charrington (962) Limited on behalf of Lloyd's Syndicate 4444 at Lloyds of London Unknown Charrington Limited on behalf of Lloyd's Syndicate No 1607

 

Additional Information:

 

Injury to yourself or your personal belongings (including pets)
As far as we know, no Pet Sitter insurance covers harm to yourself, people you bring along, personal pets you bring along or your personal / business belongings. 

If you are hurt in a client's home, this would be something that would usually be covered by Worker's Compensation.  Many business owning sitters do not have worker's comp for themselves (and some are not allowed to get it in their states to cover THEMSELVES), but must have it for their employees.  So you will want to consider looking into  a worker's comp plan for yourself to cover injuries acquired on the job.  Or start a big savings account for emergencies!

The vast majority of regular health insurance providers do NOT cover injuries acquired while on the job.

You can try to sue a client for injuries acquired do to their negligence.   For example, if the roof caves in on your head, you could probably sue for your injuries.  The client's personal insurances may cover these situations. 

Injuries to yourself acquired from a pet in your care, under a pet sitting contract, may be entirely your responsibility.  Some states regulate that once you agree to take control of the pet by caring for it, you are entirely responsible for injuries caused by the pet to others or yourself.  Your Pet Sitter insurance will cover injuries to others (up to the limit), but not to your own person.  Other states have different standards, so you could try to sue the owner and hope for the best. 

As a side note, if a client pet (or any wild animal for that matter) bites you and you report it to a doctor, by law most if not all have to report it to the state.  Police will likely come to take information, and may take the dog/cat, no matter what the circumstances.  Vicious and dangerous hearings may result.  So obviously, don't lie and tell a doctor your own pet bit you to hide the truth!

Another side note - if you get bit and need a stitch or 2 and some antibiotics, it will cost lots - a lot more than you expect if you are used to having health insurance.  So just step back and rethink twice if you are a little nervous about any animal.  It's certainly not worth the cost!

Negligence Required
Pet Sitter insurance generally covers you ONLY if you were negligent in your duties.  If something is beyond your control, you are not covered or liable.  For example, if a broken sink starts to leak and you haven't touched it, you are not responsible.  There are a lot of fuzzy areas, and the pet sitter insurances above (at least the first 2) have a good track record of sorting out fuzzy items.

Exception:  Currently all four insurers listed above do include vet coverage for non-negligent situations as listed in the chart.  This means you can take an ill pet to the vet and trust that you will get reimbursed no matter the circumstances.

Considering a Claim
Consider placing a claim even if you think you are not covered.  Adjusters have the job of finding out what your coverage really is, so it can't hurt to file a claim (unless you are filing many and are about to get dropped).

 

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